Recently, Tales of Kenjera: Zou producer Abu Bakar Salim spoke about the “debilitating effect” of the “constant targeted harassment” the studio has received since the game’s release.
The game is inspired by Salim’s own tragic story and is set in an Afrofuturist world based on Bantu stories and African folklore.
However, in a video posted on X, Saleem responded to the abuse he received and announced a price drop for the game on Switch.
“We face constant targeted harassment from people who see diversity as a threat, who look at the vast landscape of modern media and decide that anything that isn’t about them or centered around them is unnecessary and inauthentic,” she said.
“There’s always a reason why diverse stories can’t exist. Either we’re doing it wrong or it’s just about ticking a box. And now it’s starting to feel like there’s no right way, these exclusionary rules keep growing and the targets keep changing until I, my studio, people who look like us just sit down, shut up and accept the fact that you’re outsiders. But I won’t do that.”
He added: “If there are people in a game who aren’t like you, I want you to know that that game is still for you. If the characters are a different race, or a different gender, or a different ideology, or a different point of view, that doesn’t mean the game isn’t for you. It can still be for you. It’s an opportunity to live in a rich new world, explore different perspectives, explore different cultures… you just have to be open to it.”
In response, Salim has worked with Nintendo to reduce the price of Tales of Kenjira: Zau in the US until the end of June, which he intends to implement across all platforms.
“I truly believe that sports are for everyone, which is why I insisted on pricing Zau at the same price as a pizza,” Salim said.
“I really believe in the power of sports to bring us together,” he surmised. “Diverse sports are not about taking something away from you, but about adding to you. Because there’s room for all of us.”
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Sadly, Salim and the development team have received more abuse since the video was released, with many accusing them of faking the harassment as a marketing ploy.
Salim has further discussed this topic in a thread.
“From the very first moments of creating this game, my focus was on my father’s legacy and what I wanted this game to leave behind to reflect that,” he said. “Since the announcement, we’ve tried to stay as far away from race as possible as a theme, because that’s not what the game is about. It’s about the human journey of grief.
“That didn’t stop the harassment that came our way. And I knew that the moment I tried to talk about race, the legacy of this game would be weakened. But something had to be said. Suffering in silence wasn’t an option. It needed to be talked about. Because by not talking about it, the countless others out there will continue to suffer in silence as well and not see their power to tell stories through their unique perspectives, whether they want to make a character’s race the main focus or not.”
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Saleem has been open about the game’s development both before and since its launch.
“You have to go through a lot of obstacles [to make a game]But I think this knowledge needs to be shared,” He previously spoke to Eurogamer about his transparency“I think it’s important to talk about this openly and I think we’re getting there, we’re slowly moving towards that situation.”
Saleem’s comments come following a fresh wave of anti-diversity sentiment sweeping the gaming community, particularly Diversity consulting firm Sweet Baby Inc.which has been wrongly accused by some of pushing a “conscious agenda” in the games industry.
“I haven’t played a game like Tales of Kenjera before because this type of setting isn’t seen enough in gaming, whether due to underrepresentation in the industry or a lack of interest from players,” I wrote in our . Eurogamer Tales of Kenjera: Zou review“But these stories need to be told and Salim deserves praise for creating a game whose world feels so fresh and unique.”
